Leftovers
Late. The crockpot somehow didn't get turned on early enough (and by somehow I mean I 1000% forgot it even existed for the first 3 hours I was awake) making an "easy" dinner a mad dash at the end. But we had a friend over and as we were chatting and laughing over a glass of wine while we finished cooking, Theo was happily bouncing between spinning dance parties with us and composing some truly magnificent songs on the piano. It seems I was the only one worried about dinner being late and once I realized that I was able to sink in and enjoy the chaos. Sometimes late dinner is better.
Burgers out instead of cooking because...second ear infection in a month.
Leftovers from the past few nights. Spaghetti with sauce so absorbed it was pasty and pesto veggies over saturated and salty, saving the meal all together.
My version of a restaurant favorite pizza using the leftovers from 2 & 3 dinners ago.
Minimal effort roasted veggies and meat, while I watched "Next Level Chef" and had a running commentary on the competitors mistakes KNOWING that my veg was the perfect combo of mushy and too crispy edges and overdone, dry meat…
Remember the old adage, when the cat is away, the mice will play? Well, dinner tonight was an illustration of the reverse. The mice are all away for a moment, and while responding to the squeak of one mouse that her refrigerator wasn't working properly, this cat discovered ice cream. So tonight for dinner, this mama had ice cream and a nice long soak in a hot tub, completely solo. The joys of having older children include moments like this.
Rice with curried tofu and salmon bellies prepared by my partner while I worked in the studio. Served with a glass of wine and chocolate. Idyllic, feeling loved and nourished.
.....perfect; and tasted even better! I'm stuffed!
It could of been breakfast.
Ants on a log, ice cream, oatmeal and half a slice of pizza🤣
Dinner tonight looked like a 3 ring circus- complete with (spaghetti sauce) clown makeup
Trying to look like I wasn't too ravenous for both socialization & pizza while out on a rare friend date 🤣
Dinner tonight was the usual. We worked a busy day, I arrived home, threw some clothes in the wash, prepared a quick dish to throw in the oven, and sat to watch the news and catch up on our day. We ate in the living room as we always do. It is hard to set a table for 2....the littles are gone and we have fallen into the habit of eating away from the table. It was such a gradual shift, I often wonder if our conversations or connection would have been different if we had stuck to the table for dinner. Perhaps there would have been more awareness and connection without the droning of the TV in the background and the sudden stops of conversation when something on the TV catches our attention. I also wonder how strange it would seem if I suddenly decided we should eat at the table.
We had take out tonight. My sister in laws birthday dinner at the alibi. No place to sit. Got my kids to cousin/family time and get back out to anchor Point, feed kids to go egg rolls in the back seat and try to get them to bed on time. The adults picked at cold takeout after bedtime.
Leftovers! Spaghetti, beans and hotdogs, raspberries, and of course cookies.
Baked chicken broccoli and Mac n cheese 🧀
Egg Roll in a Bowl for Mama and Daddy, chicken nuggets for 2 boys, and waffles and applesauce for one boy.
Looked like victory. And victory looks like kids actually eating food that I made. It looks like me not sitting down for more than a minute at the table while I get a towel to soak up the spill, more potatoes for the middle child, more chicken for the oldest and more of everything for the baby. I have sinus pressure and my throat is so sore I can barely swallow, a nod to one of the sicknesses that's volleyed around my house for the last several weeks. But, I'm still calling dinner victory. Cheers to Alka-seltzer.
Chicken, salad noodles and children complaining they don't like the food!
Handing a kid a credit card and saying - I don't care what you get just don't make me think about it. The independence stage is full of rewards and heart breaking all at the same time. No one says enough about raising babies so they can break your heart and leave. The better you do the sooner they fly. Counter intuitive for sure.
Microwavable tamales 🫔
Leftovers. But yesterday !howdy meatball subs.
Black bean, kale , tahini, pepper power bowl with tortillas and avacado
Leftovers! I'm home alone for a few weeks and enjoying the fact that I'm not responsible for anyone else's dinner, and don't have to take care of anyone at the moment.
Dinner tonight looked like community: doing a project for my single mom friend in exchange for turmeric coconut rice and our kids playing together.
My favorite Thai food delivered by a friend. Thank goodness for community and a Mealtrain that's sustaining me and my children as I heal from a broken right arm🙏
Despite the fact we are leaving town tomorrow for a couple days--A plan for already thawed out salmon was ditched in order to go get Alibi at 4:45... for a few reasons including no dishes to do and getting out of the house 😱 also, Margaritas
Dinner last night looked like takeout from Fritz Creek. I used to really enjoy cooking and setting out nice flavorful nutritious meals at the table, but these days my daughter thinks anything I make is gross. And anything she liked two days ago is now gross. But Fritz Creek pizza with cheese, green peppers, and olives was okay for dinner last night. And for breakfast this morning. Because even the Frosted Flakes I let her get for an easy breakfast are also gross now, after a few bites of a couple bowls.
Actually planned ahead which felt great for a work day. Last night I marinated flank steak, which I grilled and served with roasted broccoli, and pesto pasta which my was made (and grown) by mom. All 4 of us sat at table. Pretty decent affair.
- much needed night out with a dear friend. A walk, drinks, and words. Rejuvenation…
Sheet pan chicken & veggies. I held strong for 15 minutes before giving ketchup. :) Meat is a struggle here
I had leftovers from Lunch from a local burrito place. I barely ever get takeout anymore but one of my new friends asked me to lunch and I decided to go for it. I'm missing my kid like crazy. When we are in this small apartment together sometimes I want to strangle her but when she's gone - her absence is like a vice grip on my heart. With no family to speak of for me other than her - she's become my lifeline. Codependency at its worst yet sometimes so beautiful.
A happy family, extra person, stepdad home from the slope a week early, On the table at 8:55, later than we like when kids are home, though despite the chaos, the lateness, the family around the table made my heart happy!
Alone, because I am working overnight.
Magic, lit by a gnome shaped candle and everyone eating the meal that was served. A friggin Christmas miracle. A first. To good to be true.
Wednesday is tortellini night. It's the one night a week that we don't have to "figure out" what we're having. I honestly don't know when or how it started but it's been years. They cook in 4 minutes. I served it with a gourmet bagged salad that had expired a few days ago, picking out the slimy pieces of lettuce of course.
Dinner was actually great. My toddler was in a good mood and my husband took over feeding the baby. I got to cook a healthy, veggie packed meal (which my toddler didn't eat but whatever) and that was a win for me 🏅
Dinner tonight (or last night). Was easy peasy. I put some sweet potatoes in the oven and went outside to watch the kids blow bubbles in the sunshine. We live on a heavy kid populated street. One sight of a bubble and the kids come running. Living in the Pacific Northwest means if there's so much as a glimmer of sun, everyone is outside. Especially the kiddos. It was a lovely moment to watch them play and then ride bikes in the street. Husband came home and made steaks on the grill and pasta salad. Dinner was amazing. My kids didn't eat anything except a couple bites of steak. (Which the dogs got half of) Then they played and went to bed late. Overall, it was a success. Only one screaming fit before sleep.
Oh dinner was lovely ... it was maintaining the patience of my 3 small humans in addition to my own sanity during the hour of Hebrew prayers leading up to Passover dinner that was the real adventure
Pizza at an infant CPR class
Left overs from 2 nights ago. The littlest one refuses to sit in her highchair and wants to walk around eating. The 4 year old will only eat vanilla yogert and cereal. Bowls are being dumped on the floor, the dog is inhaling people food and now the little one keeps saying all done but won't let me clean her face. I have a glass of wine sitting next to cold leftovers that I never did get to drink. I eventually forgot that I had dinner to eat and grabbed a granola bar.
Dinner tonight looked like fajitas and margs for the grown ups, quesadillas and beans for the big girl, and sweet corn puree scattered across the floor wall and cat for the baby.
Dinner last night looked like I was one exhausted mama. Lol
Dinner tonight looked like my toddler eating a mustard packed on the counter.
We had take out tonight. My sister in laws birthday dinner at the alibi. No place to sit. Got my kids to cousin/family time and get back out to anchor Point, feed kids to go egg rolls in the back seat and try to get them to bed on time. The adults picked at cold takeout after bedtime.
Guilty.
Relief.
SO many conflicting emotions at once. Proud and Sad, excited and scared and needing... one more. Hug. Smile. Wave. And I also realized how strong and kind my mom was.
I was cooking the fastest, filling meal I could while husband, who just had surgery for a hernia and threw his back out, rested on the couch, and while my 11 month old crawled his way around our house, pulling himself up on anything he could reach. I ate quickly so I could finish before I needed to put my son down. So I could do the dishes quick and maybe get another 20 minutes in the studio for the day.